Tag Archive for Mike Pelfrey

The Mets this week made what ought to go down as one of the more important personnel moves in recent history with the trade of beloved knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (along with both of his catchers!) to Toronto for catcher prospect Travis D’Arnaud, young pitcher Noah Syndergaard, veteran catcher John Buck and very young outfielder Wuilmer Becerra.

Given Dickey’s age, the Mets’ needs, and their limited resources, dangling him in a trade was absolutely the right thing to do, and from here it’s on D’Arnaud and his mates to make it worthwhile. I don’t for a minute believe the Mets necessarily “punted” on 2013, 2014 or whatever, I’m certain they can repeat a 4th place showing with or without a few hot new prospects and optimistic they might do more. They might not either, but that’s why they play the games. As for Dickey, what can you say. He was a great Met, and we’ll miss him, but this was one opportunity where the Mets had a hammer, and I’m pleased to see they used it.

Even more shockingly, they managed to unload both Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas while doing so. Thole, who looked like a backup goalie in his. No. 30 jersey, probably still has a chance to hit .300 but I’m glad he won’t be trying it with us. That Nickeas could be included in any deal almost defies reason: The Mets fearlessly whacked him from the 40-man roster this offseason but getting him back into the fold on a minor-league deal was one of those tiny details packing a potentially big payoff. It also miraculously resuscitated the Tim Bogar Trade Chain with four new branches when I was certain it was dead. Good job on that Sandy. Nickeas leaves behind No. 4 and previously wore No. 13.

If we needed the reminder (you probably don’t) that not all hot prospects work out, Mike Pelfrey quietly signed a make-good deal with the Twins this week. I have to admit that I pulled just as hard if not more for Pelf to succeed here than Dickey. He looked like a great power pitcher until you saw the doubts and poor results that tortured him here: I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out he was hurting for longer than we knew.

Finally the Mets added an outfielder. Collin Cowgill probably wasn’t high on anyone’s wish list but he’s a right-handed hitter (and lefty thrower!) who reportedly can go get it in center field, suggesting at worst he could platoon with Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Cowgill, acquired for minor-league infielder Jefry Marte (an Omar-Era International signee briefly considered a real prospect) wore No. 12 most recently in Oakland and No. 4 previously with Arizona.

Of the Toronto arrivals, D’Arnaud is listed as No. 15, which ought to be available unless Fred Lewis comes back or makes a stink and I wouldn’t expect either. John Buck in this article passed along by MBTN reader Matt details his reason for preferring 14, but with that number retired, could choose 44, 4 and/or 34.

Just call him Tom Snyder… because he’s on after Carson. That’s Chris Schwinden, returning to the Mets tonight in Colorado and perhaps for a lengthy stay now that Mike Pelfrey’s sore elbom will be Tommy Johnned and Matt Harvey has been deemed not ready for prime time. Schwinden was activated and should be wearing the same he wore in four forgettable appearances late last year. He replaces reliever Robert Carson who was recalled from Class AA earlier this week, issued No. 73, but never made an appearance. Schwinden is still the only 63 ever to appear for the Mets.

What was looking like a happy and uneventful Mets season has suddently become anything but. A few poor starts and a little better competition has begun to expose big cracks in the Mets’ health and holes in their game. I don’t think I’ve seen a Met look as lost at the plate as Ike Davis does these days since Jeromy Burnitz in 2002. We’re really piling up the whiffs.

As noted below, a few disabled-list assignments have brought some new players to the team. Monday’s doubleheader featured the Mets debut of Jeremy Heffner, who took the roster slot of disabled infielder Ronny Cedeno. Heffner, who wore No. 53 — the first since manager Jerry Manuel in 2010 — was farmed out again after the game when Jordanny Valdespin was activated. Valdespin, a hard-hitting prospect whom the Mets hope to use in a utility role, was assigned No. 1 (I’d have guessed 22, wrongly again). Today we got news that both Jason Bay and Mike Pelfrey were added to the disabled list. Bay’s spot on the roster will be taken over by Zach Lutz, a third baseman who can hit.

The Mets have assigned Lutz No. 19, which if you’re Danny Herrera can’t be encouraging. The little lefty we received for Francisco Rodriguez last season is already off the 40 and out for the year with arm trouble. It’s unlikey we see him again. Pelfrey’s spot — for the moment — will be occupied by lefty reliever Robert Carson, who’s been assigned No. 73, at least according to the Mets roster.

Been meaning to write a few things about this Mets team but their play this Spring has all but beaten the enthusiasm from me. We knew going in that the lack of depth and fielding would be the death of this team, I just didn’t think it would be before March was out. The fact that the offense and the relief pitching have joined the above-mentioned atrocities in their pursuit of suck is also a concern. If the Mets are going to do anything this year, they’re going to have to score a bunch and relieve very well. Mike Pelfrey is on our side after all.

Injuries to alleged keys to the season such as Ruben Tejada, David Wright and Tim Byrdak have hardly helped matters — not to mention the fact that the owners go on trial this week trying to prove they were too stupid to have know Bernie Madoff was a fraud. That ought to be easy but the Mets will find a way to screw that up too.

In the meantime it’s perhaps worth mentioning that the Mets have provided lefty longshot Josh Edgin with jersey No. 54 — totally legit by the standards of this squad — after he first arrived in camp wearing No. 87. The latter figure was the highest among campers at least according to the roster posted online. Edgin’s a stocky lefty with a strong track record — as long as you consider Class A a track — who looks like he might assume Byrdak’s role when the team goes North. That’d be something to get behind.

Rubber games haven’t been the Mets’ strength this year, but if they’re going to have any chance of relevancy they better start learning to win them soon. No better time than tonight against the MFYs who don’t look all that tough after winning Friday on an error and pretty much beaten in all facets last night by Mike Pelfrey and the Mets.

As you know by now, it wasn’t reliever Ryota Igarashi returning Friday but Elmer Dessens, summoned when John Maine was involuntarily disabled. The Glue Gun, still the only Met ever to wear No. 64, was rushed into action without great results, but it will be nice to have Igarashi back today; Manny Acosta was demoted to Buffalo to make room. As said below, I’m on a temporary break from my campaign to make Jerry Manuel pay for the Mets’ struggles and instead concentrating on being a supporter now when the team needs me. It feels good! And what can I say, it was encouraging to see Jerry make an aggressive bullpen move that made sense last night and resist the urge to stifle the offense. Let’s Go Mets!

As happy I was to see the return of the Met offense last night, and as welcome as the return tonight of Ryota Igarashi should be, it was most encouraging to see the reintroduction last night of Gangsta Jerry, who I can only hope is as exasperated at John Maine‘s struggles as I’ve been. I like Maine enough but at some point these guys deserve a kick in the pants and props to Jerry for delivering one; I found it impossible not to draw parallels to the Jose Reyes Incident on Manuel’s first night on the job, a little who’s-the-boss demonstration for all of us doubters to see.

And so while I still think his strategies are counterproductive and wearing and destined not to succeed, I also feel the Mets needn’t upstage this weekend’s series with a firing. Nor should they, probably, at least until after it, or the Philly series to follow, depending on results. This is the time to be fans again. Let’s Go Mets!

No official word yet if Igarashi returns tonight or who goes down for him, but I’d be surprised if he weren’t in action tonight. Thanks to MetsBlog for the traffic yesterday!

Holy crap. I’d be surprised if the Mets, once they wake up, don’t make a few quick roster moves for relievers this afternoon after playing 20 innings last night. And though it’s more of a long shot, it’d be also nice to get a few hitters considering they were blanked for 18 innings and managed only to squeak out single runs despite facing position players on the mound for three innings thanks to Tony LaRussa and his seeming strategy to defeat the Mets by humiliating them. This after failing to hold a 1-0 lead on Friday night. Can’t wait till Jose Reyes gets back. What? Oh…

Anyway, it wasn’t a pretty game by any wild stretch but props to Alex Cora for a terrific catch and to Hisanori Takahashi, who became a vicious strikeout artist at the right moment to squelch a 2-on, no-out situation in the 14th. Jerry Manuel’s absurdly passive game plan reached new heights by ordering Luis Castillo to bunt in a plan that successfully resulted in a single run in the 19th but predictably was proven not enough. Mike Pelfrey with the save. Ridiculous!

The good news is that Mike Pelfrey feels his bout with tendonitis is behind him. The bad news is that it cost the Mets two pitchers to cover his one missed start.

Yesterday word came that sidearming Rule 5 draftee Darren O’Day was claimed by the Texas Rangers, wholike the Mets are now required to keep him on their roster all year or — like the Mets — risk losing him on a waiver claim. O’Day was designated when the Mets recalled Nelson Figueroa take Pelfrey’s start Sunday.

Figgy was subsequently designated following his start in favor of Casey Fossum — and with the gruesome twosome of Perez and Maine following him in the rotation, avialable long relief was handy. Figueroa like O’Day was subject to waivers but went unclaimed. Nevertheless he refused a return engagement with Buffalo and declared free agency, today’s Daily News reported.

All this — Maine and Perez’s awful starts in St. Louis this week included — may eventually hasten the arrival of Freddy Garcia, who started his first game this week in Buffalo.

With Mike Pelfrey skipping a start with forearm tendonitis, this afternoon’s series finale against the Brewers will be started by Nelson Figueroa, recalled from Class AAA Buffalo.

Figueroa’s arrival — along with his entire family in a luxury box, you figure — required the Mets make a corresponding roster move which could cost them sidearming reliever Darren O’Day for the long term. Rule 5 of the draft — or the mechanism with which the Mets acquired O’Day last winter — stipulates that O’Day must first be offered back to the Angels for cash. The Angels could also ask the Mets to trade soemthing for O’Day. If neither of those options are selected, O’Day will be exposed to waivers for any team to select. And if not selected there, he’d become a free agent, a la, Rocky Cherry, and sign on with anyone he chooses.

Obviously you hope it doesn’t come to that although it’s hard to argue O’Day over his first few appearances merits the sacrifice of any of his teammates either.

The Mets tonight welcome a healthy Pedro Martinez back to the team, hopefully to stay awhile but you never know. To make room they optioned newly activated reliever Carlos Muniz. Claudio Vargas in the meantime got a sudden introduction to his new role as a long man, mopping up for irritating lefty Oliver Perez after the Giants bashed Perez for six momentum-eviserating runs in one-third of an inning Monday.

The arrangement saves a starting assignment for Mike Pelfrey, who, for all of his struggles has turned in more quality starts with a lot less hype than, say, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy combined. Oliver Perez too for that matter.

Pelfrey may not ever be the guy the Mets hoped he’d be when they called his name in Omar Minaya’s first draft as head honcho three years ago this week, but finding that out is the right thing to do.

Speaking of anniversaries, it was 10 years ago this Sunday that while playing ultimate frisbee in Yonkers, I collapsed to the turf with what would later be diagnosed as a ruptured Achilles tendon. Aside from effectively ending a maniacal pursuit to become the world’s most famous frisbee player, the coming months off my feet for surgery and subsequent rehab would lead to the even stupider quest to chronicle every uniform number in Mets history.